I know this is coming late in the day, but I couldn’t let this occasion pass without mentioning it: Today marks what would be Jules Verne‘s 183rd birthday.

As with many special occasions, Google has created one of their popular doodles in celebration, this one being an interactive nautical theme referencing the author’s popular novel, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.

There’s a lever on the right side of the logo that allows you to control the doodle submarine, but what I didn’t realize is that, according to The Telegraph, if you view it on an iPad or iPhone, you can tilt the device to have the water level move in any direction you want!

In January of 2009, it was announced that director McG, hot off of his work on the not-so-well-received Termination Salvation, would be taking on a new adaptation of Jules Verne‘s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Disney. Ten months later, the project had been killed off.

Now it looks like Disney has found their replacement, and it is quite the step up on the directorial chain. The studio is set to name David Fincher the new captain of this underwater adventure. Fincher is best known for his psychological crime thriller Se7en, as well as Fight Club, Zodiac, and his recent multi-Academy Award nominee, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Disney has put a new version of the Jules Verve classic titled 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo on the fast track and signed Terminator Salvation director McG to helm it.

Not many details are known, but the movie will supposedly follow Captain Nemo and the creation of his ship, The Nautilus. It’s being written by Bill Marsilli (Deja Vu).

McG is also in discussions to oversee development and direct the next film in the Terminator trilogy, which is a surprise to me, as I thought he was already in as director on all three. This likely means that Captain Nemo will be one fast-moving project, one Disney apparently wants THIS year.